Look Inside: b'One Day Wonders'

#$%!+'(!8*$+%,./01%!'23/4/3(!%4%$3-!5*,!26/1+,%$!'$+!5'7/1/%Author: Tamar Pollard Series Editor: Alison Mitchell

9*$3%$3Introduction

3

How to use this book

4

Timetable for putting on an event

5

Aims

6

Team recruitment and training

7

Publicity

11

Team and permission forms

12

Christmas Crackers

15

The totally eggscellent Easter Eggsperience

39

Lightbusters (Halloween)

63

Photocopiables

!

84

The small print One Day Wonders: Christmas, Easter, Halloween © The Good Book Company 2010 ISBN: 9781907377259 Original material written by Tamar Pollard. Edited by Alison Mitchell (alison@thegoodbook.co.uk).

Published by The Good Book Company, 37 Elm Road, New Malden, Surrey, KT3 3HB, UK. admin@thegoodbook.co.uk Tel: 0333 123 0880. Int: +44 (0) 20 8942 0880 UK: www.thegoodbook.co.uk N America: www.thegoodbook.com

Australia: www.thegoodbook.com.au

New Zealand: www.thegoodbook.co.nz

Bible verses taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission.

Designs by Wild Associates Ltd and Jon Bradley. Cover by André Parker. Extra illustrations by Kirsty McAllister. Printed in the UK.

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Intro d

uc t io n

Mem o

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ve rs e ry

“One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.”

Psalm 145 v 4

Note

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Notes for leaders

It is so exciting to think that on the doorstep of every church is a community waiting to be reached with the gospel. As Psalm 145 reminds us, children’s and families’ work should be an integral part of this evangelism. Running special events for these groups provides us with brilliant and unique opportunities to: rs

•

make contact with people who would never usually set foot in church.

•

build relationships.

•

impact many with the good news of Jesus.

One Day Wonders provides you with three complete seasonal events, suitable for churched and unchurched children. Within each are three alternative session formats, including one aimed at whole families.

The idea is that they can be used as stand-alone events, and yet, at the same time, slot into your church’s programme for outreach and your regular children’s groups. You may opt to use the event as a holiday-club or vacation Bible school reunion or in place of a holiday club; as an extension to your weekly clubs; or as a one-

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off special in a local school. Once you have determined your aims (see page 6), flexibility is the name of the game!

There is a diverse range of activities in One Day Wonders, allowing to you to pick’n’mix challenges, games, crafts, refreshments and songs, to go alongside your central Bible-teaching slot. Some activities are there simply to help children get to know you and “let off steam”, whereas others are intentionally designed to consolidate the main teaching point (the “big idea”) of the event. It is worth noting that the small-group material is differentiated for different age groups (4-7s, 7-9s, and 9-11s).

Note: This book contains a number of photocopiable pages, including planning sheets, permission forms, small-group material and craft activities. All of these photocopiables can also be downloaded for free (including some full-colour options) from the following websites: UK: www.thegoodbook.co.uk/onedaywonders N America: www.thegoodbook.com/onedaywonders Australia: www.thegoodbook.com.au/onedaywonders New Zealand: www.thegoodbook.co.nz/onedaywonders

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!A*8!3*!<-%!36/-!0**B ./01%!>'--'?%@!All sessions are Bible-focused.

Aim The aim is the “big idea” taught during the session. It is Bible-based and child-oriented.

Mem o ve rs e ry

This verse is usually based on the NIV Bible and will be taught during the children’s events.

Notes for leaders Based on the Bible passage

Notes for leaders give Bible context and background to the passage.

Event options Each event has a choice of three options: a short event for children, a longer event for children (sometimes with an opportunity to invite adults along for the end section), and a family event.

Teac

h g in

Teaching time

ti m e

There are two suggested talks for each event, one for the “childrenonly” event and one that can be used either at the family event or the “children-only” event. The talks make the “big idea” clear and memorable, and have applications that are closely

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Small groups The small-group material is age-specific and is based on the passage being taught. Running such groups provides the opportunity to consolidate the teaching, as well as allowing children the chance to ask questions and build relationships with the team members (see pages 8-9 for further information on leading small groups).

Activ i

Ideas menu

s

The timings in each are merely a guide and, as the co-ordinator, you will need to consider what will work best in your context.

What the leader actually says to the children is shown in bold type. Directions to the leaders are in normal type.

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The summary page allows you to quickly compare the options and choose the most suitable one for your target audience. Once you have decided upon your event format, the planning sheets further unpack the events and leave space for you to personalise the outline with your selection of activities and team members involved.

connected, age-appropriate and specific. They are faithful to the passage and are visual and accessible, aiming to help those we’re working with to engage with the Bible passage.

Each session has an Ideas Menu, which includes a suggestion on how you can teach the memory verse, an idea for teaching about prayer and some song suggestions. The music suggested is on readily available CDs (available from The Good Book Company www.thegoodbook.co.uk).

In addition there is a range of team challenges, crafts, games and other activities to choose from, to suit your event and the time you have available.

Supplies for crafts and games can be found online.

Helpful websites include www.bakerross.co.uk in the UK or www.orientaltrading.com in N America.

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D/7%3'01%!5*,!><33/$?!*$!'$!%4%$3 Time

Activity Tick when materials are ready for each activity

Four months or more before the event

Leader !

Decide if you want it to be an event for children or families, and if you will have any follow-up events afterwards.

Set the date and check it doesn’t clash with anything important (either within the church or local schools).

Chat to your church leadership about your aims and how they fit in with the church’s vision and programme. Check that they are in support of the event.

Three months or more before the event

Publicise dates to congregation and think about how many team members you’re needing to recruit.

Consider long-term craft preparation (eg: what resources do you need the congregation to be saving?).

Decide what ages you are going to offer the event to and if you will split it down into smaller age groups.

Decide how you are going to promote the event in schools / at church.

Two months or more before the event

Open meeting of interested individuals. Ensure your church’s child protection policy is followed for everyone offering to join the team.

Estimate attendance.

Order any materials you need for the crafts, games etc.

Compile a registration list.

Send the publicity to print.

One week before the event

Decorations Check supplies.

On the day!

Arrive early. Take time for prayer.

Watch for any rough patches that need adjustment (eg: timings that need to be altered or asking team members to sit with any unsettled children).

After the children leave, have a brief team meeting to tie up any loose ends.

Week after the event

“Thank you’s” to the team.

Review evaluations and suggestions from team.

Photo display for congregation (let them know what they missed).

Write to non-church families, reminding them about other upcoming events or regular church-based clubs.

© The Good Book Company 2010. You have permission to photocopy or download this page for use at your event (see page 3 for details).

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F/7The events will provide enjoyable, imaginative and controllable ways of sharing the good news of Jesus with children and families in your neighbourhood. All of these events seek to teach about the love of God and our need to respond to His offer of salvation. In addition, each event will have specific aims stated at the start of each section.

Alongside these broader aims, you will need to decide what your particular aims for the event are, such as: •

to present the gospel to children who have never really heard it.

•

to renew contact and further develop links after a holiday club or vacation Bible school.

•

to launch a new regular children’s group.

•

to attract new children to join your church’s Sunday groups or midweek activities.

•

to deepen your relationships with children you already work with.

•

to provide an opportunity for children to make a commitment to Christ.

•

to encourage the children in your church groups to be reaching out to their friends.

•

to develop your relationships with families connected in some way to the church.

It may be helpful to work through the concentric circles below to establish which your primary aims are and how you will be able to evaluate the event afterwards to see if they were met. The purpose of the circles is to show the different stages we go through in our evangelism and discipleship. It is useful to consider which main stage your event is targeted at and the next stage you are aiming for.

Culture—those who know very little about God.

Crowd—those who attend church events but see church as “religion” and meetings.

Community—non-Christian regulars.

Belong, but don’t believe.

Committed—those who are Christians and now attend on a Sunday.

Non-church children bringing family along.

Core—actively reaching out back to “culture”! Including to their families or, better still, with their families.

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Recruiting The team you recruit is an essential part of the work.

The minimum recommended adult-to-child ratios are as follows: •

1:8—for children aged three-eight years.

•

1:12—for children aged eight and over.

Within the team, there will be a whole range of roles that need filling. It is not essential that all the workers are experienced children’s workers, for many others in your church will be more than able to help in the kitchen, on registration and in other background areas.

Others will be capable of running small-group sessions after some initial basic training. Serving together is a fantastic way of developing relationships within the church and allowing different people’s gifts to be used, including teenagers.

Before you start recruiting your team, make sure you have looked through your church’s child protection policy. All leaders involved should fill in and sign a confidential declaration form (see page 12 for a sample UK form) stating whether or not they have been the subject of criminal or civil proceedings, and whether they have caused harm to any child or put them at risk.

Emphasise to your team that this is the requirement of legal best-practice—but in addition, as Christians, we should respect the law of the land (Titus 3 v 1), we should be above reproach (1 Timothy 3 v 7), and our willingness to be checked is part of our commitment to care for the children. If anyone gives an answer that

causes concern, allow them to explain this disclosure personally. If you are in any doubt, consult your church leader. You may also find it useful to ask for a brief reference as part of the process. Ensure that confidentiality is maintained throughout.

Training It is really important to meet with your team in the weeks leading up to the event, to run through the event’s aims, child protection issues and different roles, as well as to provide basic training.

Suggested agenda: •

Icebreaker and introductions.

•

Short devotion and prayer.

•

Share the aims of the event, including where it fits into the bigger picture of church ministry and evangelism.

•

The legal stuff—child protection (summarise your church policy), health and safety, and emergency procedures.

•

The event’s format and timings.

•

Roles—both specific (see pages 9-10) and general guidelines on befriending children and being good role models (see below).

•

Training on good behaviour management, running small groups and how to counsel children.

•

Prayer.

Being a good role model DOs

DON’Ts

Do learn their names quickly, use them and pray for them.

Don’t have any favourites.

Do get to know the children as individuals—pay attention to the way they act, react and interact.

Don’t be on your own with just one child.

Do look out for the loners and shy ones.

Don’t be tactile with them. Touch should be related to the child’s needs, not the worker’s. It should be age-appropriate and generally initiated by the child, rather than the worker, eg: when the child is in distress or needs medical attention.

Do be patient, positive, kind and enthusiastic.

Don’t pressurise a child into making a commitment to Christ (more on that later).

Do be consistent in your expectations and firm in your ground rules.

Don’t label them (eg: as “good”, “difficult”, “is / is not obviously a Christian”)

Do be clear in your instructions.

Don’t stand around chatting to other leaders—your priority is the children.

Do be confident and creative in your delivery—adapt the material and your choice of vocabulary to suit your group and yourself.

Don’t forget to prepare.

Do use body language, eye contact and voice intonation to help keep attention.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

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Aim To help the children (and their families if it’s a family event) to: know that Jesus is God’s Son understand that Jesus came at Christmas to be our Saviour.

Mem o ve rs e ry

The Father has sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world. 1 John 4 v 14 (NIV)

Notes for leaders Read Matthew 1 v 18-25; 2 v 1-18; Luke 1 v 26-38; 2 v 1-20.

Our main sources for the Christmas narratives are taken from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. As we read through these accounts, there is a wide range of information about Jesus to take on board: • • • • • • •

He’s God Himself come to earth (Matthew 1 v 23).

He’s born of a virgin (Matthew 1 v 18, 23, 25; Luke 1 v 34).

He’s a real human like you and me.

He’s the promised Son of David (Matthew 1 v 17; Luke 1 v 32).

He’s God’s eternal King (Matthew 2 v 6; Luke 1 v 32-33).

He’s the Son of God (Matthew 2 v 15; Luke 1 v 32, 35).

He’s the Saviour of the world (Matthew 1 v 21; Luke 2 v 11).

The Old Testament references littered throughout support these claims and are a helpful reminder of God’s eternal salvation plan (see Micah 5 v 2; Hosea 11 v 1; Jeremiah 31 v 11; Isaiah 7 v 14). So are the wise men’s gifts and all that they symbolised: gold, a gift for a king; frankincense, a fragrance that would have been used in the temple as a symbol of prayer, showing Jesus was God; myrrh, aromatic gum used in the treatment of dead bodies, and a reminder that Jesus had come to die.

And so, the writers are making Jesus’ divinity as clear as possible, as they long for their readers to grasp His identity and mission, and believe in Him.

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It is always a challenge to apply this to our response to the good news. Do we believe that Jesus is fully human and therefore is our perfect mediator? Do we believe that Jesus is the Son of God? Do we believe that Jesus is King for ever, reigning supreme in all circumstances?

Do we believe that God can do the impossible—at any time? And how can we communicate these truths of Jesus’ identity and mission clearly to those we are working with, so that they grasp the truth of the first Christmas, and believe?

The example of Mary and Joseph and the way they trusted in God’s word (Matthew 1 v 24; Luke 1 v 38); the joy of the shepherds and the way they shared their discovery (Luke 2 v 16-20); and the devotion of the wise men (Matthew 2 v 2, 11), are in sharp contrast to the hostility of Herod (Matthew 2 v 13-16) and the indifference of the priests (Matthew 2 v 5-6). These different characters’ responses to the identity of Jesus, which run throughout the narrative, are reflective of the attitudes we will come across with those we are working with, and helpful for our application of the passage.

Pray

Leader’s prayer Father God, we praise You and thank You for sending Jesus to be the Saviour of the world. As we seek to teach Your salvation plan, we pray that we would be those who trust in Your word and rejoice in Your goodness; that we would be those who clearly communicate Christ’s identity and mission; and that those we are working with would not be hostile or indifferent, but rather, understand and believe.

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Optio

ns

Programme Options

Christmas is a time when many people, both young and old, will happily venture into church. The range of options below allows you to choose an event to reach local children, family groups or the wider community. The “Aims” section on page 6 gives help in deciding who you want to reach out to.

It is probably best to run your event in early December because: • this ensures the children aren’t too tired.

• an activity session gives parents valuable Christmas-shopping time.

• volunteers in your church are less likely to be busy elsewhere.

•

it allows you to promote forthcoming Christmas events, such as carol services.

Once you have decided upon your target audience, choose an outline from the three options below. Then select games, crafts, challenges etc (see Ideas Menu, pages 25-30) and delegate accordingly.

The tables on the next three pages give you further details about each of the three suggested options for a Christmas event. Space is included to add the name of the team member responsible for each activity. You may find it helpful to give copies of this table to each member of your team. You can photocopy this page or download a copy for free from www.thegoodbook.co.uk/onedaywonders

Option A: Two-hour children’s event

Chris t

Registration and opening games (begins 10 min before start time)

25 min

Together Time 1—songs, team challenges, memory verse, quiz

25 min

Themed crafts (with drinks break)

25 min

Together Time 2—songs, team challenges, Bible story, prayer, quiz

15 min

Small groups

25 min

Themed games

m

15 min

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Option B: Four-hour children’s event Chris t

Chris t m

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with parents invited to come and watch a half-hour performance afterwards

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15 min

Registration and opening games (begins 10 min before start time)

25 min

Together Time 1—songs, team challenges, “Eyewitness 1”, prayer

25 min

Themed crafts (with drinks break)

25 min

Together Time 2—songs, team challenges, “Eyewitness 2”, quiz (1)

25 min

Themed games

25 min

Together Time 3—songs, team challenges, “Eyewitness 3”, memory verse

40 min

Younger children watch Christmas DVD, older children rehearse play and some make props

25 min

Together Time 4—songs, team challenges, “Eyewitness 4”, quiz (2)

20 min

Small groups

25 min

Food, final set-up and prizes

30 min

Performance—parents come and watch songs, verse and play

m

Chris tevent Option C: One-and-a-half-hour family fun as Famil

Themed wall quiz and nativity signature bingo as families arrive

45 min

Games: Split everyone into four teams and run a number of games that aim to include everyone and require a mixture of skills eg: rapidough, snowball fight, ice-cube race and snowmen.

15 min

Festive refreshments and quiz

5 min

Children to sing

un

10 min

Talk

5 mins

Prizes

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10 min

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